Rathert's (WRATH-urts) clothing has been serving the tiny southern Illinois farming community of Red Bud since 1887...and its wooden shelves are mostly filled with provisions from Levi-Strauss (LEE-veye STROWSS). But the nation's original dry goods purveyor decided recently that Don Rathert's rickety store didn't meet its criteria for the proper "retail environment." When the public found out, it responded with angry letters, e-mails, and threats of a boycott...and the company that manufactures Levi's bluejeans changed its mind. Jim Dryden reports.
Copyright 1997 NPR
